Scribbles & Munch

      Typically, I like to start the day by indulging my sweet tooth.  Having dessert first gives me a reason to get out of bed when I'm feeling utterly grog-tastic.  But lately I seem to be having a savory craving, and lots of egg dishes have been making their way onto my breakfast plate.  I realize I already hit you with Joe's Special only a couple weeks ago, but the farmer's market was experiencing a cross-over of two lovely garden goodies last week, which I simply couldn't pass up.  Specifically: early basil and late garlic scapes.

Meet the food that inspired Dr. Seuss.

     Garlic scapes are the stalks of the garlic plant. They're long, tall, single reeds, with a circular curl and a nobby bud that turns into a kind of white balloon blossom.  Like most herbs, once they blossom (or "bolt") they become bitter, so if you can, get them before that happens.  The flavor is a nice, crispy garlic taste, and diced up they make a nice addition to just about any sautéed vegetable.  But my favorite way to prep them is to use them in lieu of garlic cloves when concocting a tasty pesto.

Z.D.'s Easy Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
1/2 C walnuts, freshly toasted
1/2 C freshly shredded parmesan cheese
10 mature garlic scapes, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 Cup basil, tightly packed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 Cup olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
 - Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Purée using long pulses, and scraping down the sides in between.

Green and beautiful!

      Pesto is one of the best inventions ever.  Toss it with noodles and fresh diced tomatoes for instant summer lunch.  Spread it on french bread and toast it for an easy accompaniment to soup or salad (or put a poached egg on top and call it breakfast, my fav).

     
      You can also stir pesto into scrambled eggs, as in today's breakfast delight: Eggs Scrambled with Garlic Scape Pesto and Serrano Ham.  Except - to be honest - it turns the eggs rather drab olive color, not vibrantly green.  But one bite and you will not care!

Z.D.'s Pesto Eggs with Serrano Ham
2 servings

Ingredients:
butter for greasing the pan
4 large eggs
3 T whole milk
2 - 4 tsp garlic scape pesto, depending on the strength of flavor
1/4 C loosely packed chopped serrano ham
freshly ground pepper

Unlike prosciutto, serrano can take on a bitter note if you try to fry it. I say just let it warm to room temperature and enjoy it's silky texture and amazing flavor as is!

Directions:
 - Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.  As it melts, beat the eggs with the milk until thoroughly homogenized.  Pour into the skillet, and slowly stir with a heat-proof rubber spatula until soft curds begin to form.

 - Raise the heat to medium high and continue to stir non-stop, scraping along the bottom and flipping the curds.  When your eggs are almost half set, sprinkle in the pesto in small dollops.  Give a couple quick stirs, then return to regular stirring.

Not that vibrant green, but such a lovely flavor!

 - When eggs are about 3/4 set, sprinkle in the ham.  Continue to stir/scrape until eggs are almost set, then plate.  Remember, the eggs will finish cooking on the plate from residual heat.  Season to taste with freshly ground pepper.

Don't add salt to the eggs, there's already enough salt in the ham and the pesto.

      A word of caution: every batch of pesto you make is going to taste different.  That's because the herbs will be more or less strong depending on the time of year and how many times the basil has been harvested.  My last batch of garlic scape pesto was delicious, but so garlicky that it could have killed a vampire from 10 feet away.  Fortunately, my husband had eaten the same thing, so we didn't really care.
      Tomorrow (July 6th) is National Fried Chicken Day.  I desperately want to make fried chicken, but I have to work late.  And two of the best fried chicken places in town aren't open on Mondays.  *rolls eyes*  I'm going to try ordering take out from a third...I'll let you know how it turns out.